Custom ERP Cost in 2026: Pricing Table and How It's Calculated by Module

Investing in a custom-built ERP system is a major financial decision, and the first question almost every business asks is simple: what will it actually cost. This article lays out real-world pricing across three scale tiers, explains how cost is calculated based on the number of modules, and gives reference prices by industry so you can budget with confidence before you ever sit down for a requirements workshop.

How much does a custom ERP cost in 2026?

In Vietnam, a custom-built ERP ranges from 880M VND (a Starter package with 3-5 modules) to more than 5B VND (an Enterprise package for multi-branch operations with deep integrations), depending on the number of modules, the complexity of your processes, and how much customization you need. That figure is a world apart from packaged software licensed annually, because you are paying for a system designed around exactly how your business operates, not a generic product built to serve thousands of very different customers. The three common price points:

• Starter: from 880M VND — a fit for SMEs that need 3-5 core modules (inventory, sales, basic accounting, HR).
• Standard: 1.4-3.2B VND — mid-sized businesses with multiple departments that need approval workflows and management reporting.
• Enterprise: 3.2-5B VND and up — multi-branch or multi-subsidiary groups with third-party API integrations and complex permission structures.

The exact price depends heavily on your industry and the modules you choose, both of which are covered in detail in the sections below.

Why do custom ERP costs vary so widely between businesses?

The variation comes from the number of modules, the complexity of your business processes, and the degree of integration with outside systems — every business has a different operational problem to solve, so there is no single price that fits all. A retailer that only needs inventory and sales modules will pay far less than a manufacturing group that requires material requirements planning (MRP), quality management, and integration with IoT machinery on the shop floor.

The factors that determine cost include:

• Number of modules: each module is a self-contained block of functionality (inventory, sales, accounting, HR, production, CRM, and so on). The more modules you add, the more design and development hours the project requires.
• Process complexity: multi-level approval chains, complex cost accounting, multiple branches, and multiple currencies all increase the volume of logic that has to be programmed.
• Level of integration: connecting to accounting software, banking systems, e-commerce marketplaces, and time-attendance or IoT devices adds API work and testing effort.
• Historical data to migrate: moving data from a legacy system or from Excel into the new ERP is a line item that is frequently overlooked when budgeting.

This is also why, before asking for a price, a business should first be clear on whether it truly needs a custom build or could instead optimize an existing solution — a question analyzed in depth in the article whether to buy off-the-shelf ERP or build custom.

How is ERP cost calculated based on the number of modules?

ERP cost is calculated by adding up the cost of each independent module, then applying a factor for cross-module integration and testing — it is not the total price divided evenly across the modules. Each module has a different level of complexity and workload, so the unit price is not the same from one module to the next.

The real-world pricing process:

• Step 1 — List the modules you need: for example, inventory, sales/POS, accounting, HR, CRM. The sooner a business defines its scope clearly, the more accurate the quote will be.
• Step 2 — Price each module by tier (Basic / Standard / Advanced): each module comes in three customization tiers, with the price rising according to the number of data fields, business rules, and custom reports.
• Step 3 — Add the cost of cross-module integration: when modules need to share data in real time (for example, inventory being deducted automatically when a sale is made), extra effort goes into designing the data flows.
• Step 4 — Add the cost of infrastructure, testing, training, and maintenance: this is the part that is easily forgotten when comparing quotes from different vendors.

A simple example: a retailer that chooses the inventory module (Standard tier) plus the sales-POS module (Standard tier) adds those two amounts together, then adds the cost of real-time inventory synchronization — rather than simply doubling the price of a single module.

What are the ERP price ranges by industry in Vietnam?

Each industry has its own reference pricing across three tiers — Basic / Standard / Advanced — ranging from 125M VND (Basic Spa) to 1.74B VND (Advanced Manufacturing). The table below shows reference prices for each industry, already including the modules specific to that sector:

Industry	Basic	Standard	Advanced
Retail - Inventory	145M VND	360M VND	870M VND
Sales - POS	145M VND	360M VND	870M VND
F&B (restaurants, eateries)	130M VND	325M VND	780M VND
Spa, beauty care	125M VND	310M VND	750M VND
Education	145M VND	360M VND	870M VND
Healthcare, clinics	165M VND	410M VND	990M VND
Agriculture	150M VND	375M VND	900M VND
Professional services	160M VND	400M VND	960M VND
Logistics	230M VND	575M VND	1.38B VND
Construction - Real estate	245M VND	610M VND	1.47B VND
Manufacturing	290M VND	725M VND	1.74B VND

Manufacturing and construction carry higher prices because their processes are more complex: costing by production stage, multi-level materials management, and project schedule planning. F&B and Spa tend to be simpler, and their costs are correspondingly lower.

These are reference figures for each industry on its own; if your business combines several areas (for example, both manufacturing and retail), the cost is calculated by adding up modules as described in the section above. To better understand whether to build custom or make the most of an existing solution for your industry, you can refer to the article whether to buy off-the-shelf ERP or build custom.

How long does it take to implement a custom ERP?

ERP implementation timelines range from 3 months (a Starter package with few modules) to 15 months (an Enterprise package with many modules and complex integrations). The timeline depends not only on the number of modules but also on how quickly the business provides its process information and takes part in testing (UAT).

Reference timelines by scale:

• Starter package (3-5 modules): 3-5 months, covering requirements gathering, design, development, testing, and user training.
• Standard package: 5-9 months, with an added phase for integration between modules and customization of management reports.
• Enterprise package: 9-15 months, rolled out in phases, typically starting with a pilot branch or department before scaling company-wide.

Businesses should break the timeline into clear acceptance milestones — each completed module is tested and put into trial use before moving on to the next. This approach reduces the risk of discovering process discrepancies late in the project.

How much does ERP maintenance cost per year after handover?

ERP maintenance typically runs at 15-20% of the original contract value per year, covering bug fixes, security updates, and operational support. This is a recurring cost that needs to be built into your long-term budget, not a one-time expense.

Maintenance of this kind usually covers: fixing bugs that surface during real-world use, updating for compatibility with new operating systems and browsers, technical support when your operations staff run into difficulties, and small adjustments to reflect process changes (for example, updating an invoice template to meet new tax regulations). For larger scope changes (adding a new module or a new subsystem), the business receives a separate quote for the additional work.

If your current budget is not yet enough for a complete custom-built system, there is a middle path: use a free ERP foundation (inventory, sales, basic cash-flow) configured specifically to your business processes, put it to real use immediately, and pay only when you need to develop additional features. This approach lets a smaller business get started without committing the entire budget up front — a topic explored in more depth in the article whether to buy off-the-shelf ERP or build custom.

How much does an ERP developer hour cost in Vietnam?

The hourly rate for ERP development in Vietnam is around 520,000 VND per hour, or you can hire a dedicated team at 75-200M VND per person per month depending on the role and experience. This pricing applies when a business chooses to hire staff working directly on a monthly basis, rather than a fixed-scope, packaged project.

Billing by the hour or by dedicated team suits businesses that need continuous development, expanding gradually in stages, or that need a long-term team to maintain the system and build new features in parallel with day-to-day operations. Conversely, fixed-scope module-based quoting (like the pricing table above) is a better fit when the scope of work is already clear from the outset.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the minimum cost of a custom ERP for a small business? The Starter package, with 3-5 core modules (inventory, sales, accounting, HR), starts from 880M VND and is delivered in 3-5 months. With a tighter budget, a business can begin with a free ERP foundation and upgrade over time.

Does the ERP price include staff training? Yes, standard quotes all include end-user training before the official handover. Additional in-depth training (for example, retraining when staff change) is quoted separately if it arises after the implementation phase.

Why do ERP quotes vary so much between vendors even for the same number of modules? Because process complexity, the degree of report customization, the number of third-party integrations, and the way maintenance costs are calculated all differ from vendor to vendor. You should request an itemized quote broken down by line item rather than simply comparing bottom-line totals.

Can ERP costs be paid in installments or spread across phases? Most implementation vendors split payments according to the acceptance milestones of each module or project phase, rather than requiring the full amount up front. The detailed payment schedule is agreed in the contract after the requirements workshop.

Do ERP costs increase after handover? Additional costs come mainly from annual maintenance (15-20% of the contract value) and from requests that expand the scope beyond the original contract. Bugs that fall within the committed scope are typically covered under warranty at no charge for the specified period.

Prices are for reference; an accurate quote follows a business requirements assessment.

Want to know exactly how many modules your business needs and what it will really cost? Sign up for a free business requirements assessment with FutureTech (ftech.ltd) to receive a detailed quote built around exactly how your operation runs.